The Adventures of Isys Drain: Bez Live, Abuja

Bez Idakula

Words can not describe the joy I felt tonight at Bez Live, Abuja but I will try to give a detailed account of it.

First off, I should start by saying that the excitement I felt today was at an all time high. When I met Bez before the show (thanks Eddie) I couldn’t find the words, I was in awe but respected myself. No need to ruin the moment with unnecessary talking, lol.

I was already pestering Sarah at 3 o’clock, to hurry up, it’s Bez day. We finally got out of the house and were off to the show. I was jumping up and down like a toy on steroids.

Some of you may be wondering what the fuss is about but here’s the thing. I’m a pure creative and Abuja has deprived me of quality entertainment, of music that shakes me to my bones and shows that speak to the artist in me. Then Bez is set to take the stage and provide me with what I desperately yearn, after plenty fasting and praying, of course I was excited beyond compare.

But I digress.

We were signed in and armed with glow sticks and we made our way to the concert ground. I caught my breath at the sight of the stage. It was a standard concert set up, not those half baked attempts you see at Naija shows,this was the whole 9 yards and then some. At this point, I was more than ready. The audience slowly trickled in and after a few restless minutes, the show began.

It kicked off with the cutest rendition of the National Anthem by Bez and his son. Then the ever so soulful Jessica Bongos took to the stage, setting the mood in a soft, yet raspy style for which she is best known. The vibe picked up with Rubunu an artist I have been watching since Tamerri. To say she has grown from her last show would be an understatement and her performance was amazing, as I watched her channel her inner Lauren Hill with a twist of African.

Rubunu

The show waited for no one and CEF came on stage to give us some ‘spiritual’ healing, singing songs like ‘Egbami’ and ‘Angeli’ before dropping the love song ‘Piggy Bank’, my favourite song by him. At this point, I was already on my feet and struggling not to completely let loose, I obviously failed at that.

I’ve never understood how people can listen to amazing music and not move, dance or at least nod their heads. Moving on.

Falana!!! I had heard about her but never seen her perform. To say I wasn’t absolutely mesmerized by her, would be a lie from the pits of my ulcer-ridden tummy. I forgot about trying to stay calm and broke into salsa and bata all at once. She has a full, rich and smooth voice that speaks volumes. A master of her voice and sound, she had every single song in the pocket and brought out the Naija in everything with the prowess of a seasoned artist. I saw nothing but her and comparing her to her somewhat obvious influences, would be an injustice to her originality. Obviously, I am now a fan and a huge one at that.

We were given no time to recover from falana, the band had taken to the stage and the build up to Bez’s entry was electric. I was in front of the stage before anyone else and my blood was racing. The drums and horns tugged at my soul and then as I sought to catch my breath, Bez, in all his glory, was on stage.

Thankfully, I’m not a fainter, I’m a screamer and boy, did I scream my head off but not because Bez is a beautiful specimen of man

(he’s married, by the way) but because I knew that I was about to experience awesomeness personified. And that was exactly what happened, as he took us on a journey through time, music and the path he has chosen with which to bless us. Every song struck a chord, his voice rich and honed to do more than sing but inspire and for people like me, evoke every single creative juice in my body. It was magical!

Might I add that if you haven’t listened to ‘Gbagyi child’ his latest album, you indeed have been deprived of awesomeness. However, because the Lord is good and we live in the 21st century, you can do yaself a favor and go buy ya copy…NOW!!!

Now, where was I? Ah ha! The epicness of Bez! So, see ehn, at this point the words escape me, for I feel I’m doing an injustice by even trying to bring his performance to life in words but what can I do? I can’t deny my readers of the gist.

It’s hard to have a favourite song when an artist is as amazing as Bez but other than the favorites from the Super sun album, my best songs from the new album are ‘Eternity’ ‘You suppose know’, ‘Zamuce’, ‘There’s a fire’ and ‘Breathe’. All I wanted to do was put the whole stage, Bez and band, in my bag and take them home with me. There was fire, there were stars, there were dancers, amazing vocalists, a band like no other but there, in a cloud of musical madness, was Bez.

Zuchiya (I hope I spelt that right) w the breaking for me. It was the first song by him I had ever heard, that one song that spoke of a love I once knew and when he asked for someone to come on stage, well in my usual way, I hid but my friends would have none of that and next thing I knew, I was on stage. I can’t explain what happened next but it was surreal. As I write this, I feel teary because I realise just how much I’ve missed the stage but this isn’t about me. It’s about a show that has caused an awakening in me.

The night went on and I was beyond happy. Ha! when the dancers came out, they scattered something. My baby, Adila ringz was the star and I say this without bias. Music runs deep in her and dance is her expression. Princess, Paulette, Uche and Annika, also did the performance justice and I was like a proud mummy watching her babies soar. We did not want the show to end and managed to keep Bez on stage as long as we could but eventually the show came to a close.

What a night! I am happy, fulfilled and recharged. This is how a concert should be done, this is the definition of quality entertainment and Bez is surrounded by a team that is family. They worked seamlessly and as a unit to give us the show of a lifetime. I have to duff my hat to Nsikak, he is one sick guitarist and it was nice to see him on stage after torturing us with awesomeness on ‘The Collectiv3’ album.

But the one person I can not do without appreciating, who to me was the star of the night, was the man behind the sound, my dear friend, Kelvin Egbegi of Pro Audio. He is passionate about his work and worked tirelessly to ensure we had clean, clear and amazing sound. If you are thinking professional sound in this country, he is the only one I can vouch for.

That said, if you weren’t at Bez Live Abuja, I can’t help you. But don’t ever say that great things don’t happen here.